Author Sarah Chappell

A cool, persistent spring was the beginning of the weather problems that would plague the 2011 California harvest, pushing back bud break to make the grapes almost three weeks behind schedule. May and June had heavy rains, and the summer heat never really spiked. Pinot noir and chardonnay seemed happy with this weather, and many producers were able to pick elegant, low sugar grapes before the main vineyard event of 2011: October rain.

New Yorkers love finding the next big thing, and if they do it in California, Virginia, even not-so-far-away Long Island, presumably it is time for a city of 8 million people to catch on. This is why, in a time of hyper-locavorism with city residents growing vegetables on their fire escapes, raising chickens in their yards, and setting up rooftop beehives, wine is being made in the big city.

It took me a few days to get everything out of our Brooklyn apartment and into my parents’ house in New Jersey. I packed my clothes and shoes, and the wine I had brought back from France three months earlier. The break-up, while rooted in the simple fact that my now ex-fiancé and I did not like each other, still seemed sudden.

For those of us who have recently left the stimulating environs of University, the holiday season harkens back to those carefree times before (somewhat) gainful employment. We have grown up – a little – and celebrating the season with our families and friends offers an occasion to highlight a newfound post-collegiate sophistication.

It took me a few days to get everything out of our Brooklyn apartment and into my parents’ house in New Jersey. I packed my clothes and shoes, and the wine I had brought back from France three months earlier. The break-up, while rooted in the simple fact that my now ex-fiancé and I did not like each other, still seemed sudden.